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Text SizePrintE-mailReprints By Philip Rucker, Dan Balz and William Branigin, NORTH CHARLESTON, S.C. — Republican presidential contenders fanned out Friday across South Carolina on the last full day of campaigning before a primary that could solidify Mitt Romney’s front-runner status — or leave it up for grabs.
With polls showing former House speaker Newt Gingrich (Ga.) gaining ground on the former Massachusetts governor in the Palmetto State, the four remaining candidates in the race for the GOP presidential nomination sought to rally supporters at a series of whirlwind stops a day after clashing sharply in a debate here.
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Ask nowRomney picked up the endorsement Friday of Virginia Gov. Robert F. McDonnell, who planned to join the candidate at a Charleston rally later in the day. Romney also planned campaign stops Friday in other parts of the state.
Gingrich scheduled half a dozen campaign appearances across South Carolina, notably in the Charleston area, while former senator Rick Santorum (Pa.) and Rep. Ron Paul (Tex.) were seeking to rally voters in the face of what polls showed to be an uphill battle for them in the state.
Republican politicians and their conservative allies, meanwhile, took aim at debate moderator John King of CNN for an opening question to Gingrich about his ex-wife’s public assertion that he had wanted an “open marriage” before their divorce in 2000. They charged that the question showed media bias against Gingrich and may have galvanized some last-minute support for him.
The latest polls out of South Carolina show Gingrich surging in advance of Saturday’s primary, with automated polls conducted Wednesday and Thursday putting him even with, or ahead of, Romney. One survey, an NBC News/Marist poll released Thursday, showed a sharp tightening of the race following a debate on Monday.
In Washington, Sen. Jim DeMint (R-S.C.), a leader of tea party conservatives, called the primary “clearly a two-man race” at this point between Romney and Gingrich. In an interview on “CBS This Morning,” he maintained his refusal to endorse any of the candidates, although he supported Romney in 2008.
Rep. Tim Scott (R-S.C.) also declared that “it’s a two-person race” headed for a “photo-finish.” He said on morning news programs that he still has not decided which of the two to support in Saturday’s primary. “My decision will happen at the ballot box,” he said on CNN.
Friday’s barnstorming followed a series of fast-paced and unexpected events Thursday that shook the candidates and their campaigns, significantly changing the dynamic of presidential race ahead of a primary that many thought might settle the nomination.
It was a day of split-screen viewing and almost hourly recalibration. Iowa Republicans declared former senator Santorum the new winner of their Jan. 3 caucuses, erasing Romney’s eight-vote victory. Texas Gov. Rick Perry, who had one of the largest donor networks of any candidate, quit the race and endorsed former Gingrich, who was gaining momentum but faced new challenges over his ex-wife’s accusations.
And the second candidate debate in four days, this time with just four contenders onstage and with more at stake than in any of the previous forums, featured sharp clashes over who has the temperament, character and know-how to lead the party into a general election.
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